Gearing Up For EDC: A Few Words From Our Choreographers (Part 6)

It all comes down to this: an entire semester's worth of work into 4 performances.  As we prepare to launch into tech week, the EDC choreographers (students of the Choreography II class) have each written a few words about their inspiration, their choreographic process, and the development of their works.

Courtesy of Lori Teague

Emily Hammond, Junior

At the beginning of my choreographic process I began with a single core phrase that I taught at auditions. Once I chose my cast and began working with them I expanded the original phrase to include more floor material and created a second phrase. I asked the students to manipulate the phrases in groups of two or three to create small compositions within the framework of the originals. I found that each group came up with something completely different, even though they all stemmed from the same phrase material. I thought this was exciting because it provided me with a new insight into my choreography. 

The wide range of approaches shown in each of the small compositions encouraged me to develop each separately and bring them all together with an emphasis on the differences. Instead of blending ideas together to make them fit into a set theme, I decided to capitalize on the differences between each and to essentially keep each composition separate. The piece as a whole has developed into a compilation of duets, solos, and one quintet that overlap and transition between each other. I envision most of the transitions between ideas being dependent on lighting changes, allowing the audience to shift focus from one thing to another.
          
 The greatest challenge that I have faced in working through my process and linking all of the various ideas has been related to my music choices. Toward the beginning of the process I picked very distinct pieces of music for each of the small compositions. I think that each music piece highlighted specific qualities that arose in each of the duets and I was pleased with how the music and choreography were interconnected. Once I had the music cut to the proper lengths and sequenced the compositions in the order in which I wanted them to appear, I felt like there was something missing that would help everything fit together to form a unified work. At a recent feedback session I received the suggestion that I could have some kind of sound that was present throughout the work that linked the different musical ideas. I also received the suggestion to overlap some of the compositions so that some of the duets start before the music that is connected to them. Once I began working with the transitions in this way I started to see how the piece was coming together as a whole, instead of a series of discrete compositions. It was amazing for me to see how small changes in the soundscape had such a significant influence on how I viewed the work and how it made the various choreographic ideas suddenly seem to be linked together.

Thanks, Emily!
 

Don't miss the Emory Dance Company Spring Showcase, Tabula Rasa.  Click here for more details.

For more information on the Emory Dance Program, please go to our website.

Gearing Up For EDC: A Few Words From Our Choreographers (Part 5)

It all comes down to this: an entire semester's worth of work into 4 performances.  As we prepare to launch into tech week, the Emory Dance Company choreographers (students of the Choreography II class) have each written a few words about their inspiration, their choreographic process, and the development of their works.

Lauren Kaplan, Senior

As a second-time choreographer, I had to take a more independent approach and draw on everything I learned in Choreography II class last year. As one half of the “Choreographic Laboratory” course, I didn’t have class time to experiment with my peers or receive coaching from an instructor. Instead, I just met with my (endlessly talented) dancers two times each week and shaped my piece with little (but enough!) guidance from others.

This time, I depended on my dancers for support, input and focus whenever we met in the studio; if not for them, there would not have been a choreographic process to speak of. It amazes me how well these dancers can transform a movement phrase into a one-of-a-kind solo and how they can internalize and embody an idea in a way I never thought was possible.

Using my dancers’ expertise and openness, I was able to shape a piece that stayed true to my original ideas/goals, while letting it become something of its own beast. We began with several movement phrases and used them to develop unique, but related, solos, duets and trios. My dancers helped me generate more material than I knew what to do with. Eventually, I fleshed out the most important pieces and wove them together to form a cohesive piece. It was the air of chaos that pervaded my rehearsals (or just my own head) that led to the most illuminating “ah-ha!” moments. Trial and error became the name of my game as I built the bare bones of a piece within the first few weeks of rehearsal, only to take the subsequent three months to edit parts, delete others, rework most things, and enhance it all. It’s been an enjoyable and eye-opening experience, albeit tedious at times.

My hope is that audience members will approach the ideas in my piece in the same way my dancers and I have approached the choreographic process: with openness, creativity, mindfulness, passion and, of course, with a sense of humor.

I look forward to watching my work develop through tech week to see what else I can learn about it, and to see what my dancers can discover in it too. Surely, the choreographic process continues well into show week, because each time the dancers perform, it will be different. If there’s anything I’ve learned about creating a dance piece, it’s that there is always more to find in our work and movement. It’s become clear that the choreographic process endures long after the curtains close.

Thanks, Lauren!

Don't miss the Emory Dance Company Spring Showcase, Tabula Rasa.  Click here for more details.

For more information on the Emory Dance Program, please go to our website.